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LES ARCS ENDURO2 Powered by Stages Cycling
The first ever Enduro2 event took place this last weekend in the French Alps, with almost two hundred riders tackling a monster course with 15 stages and over 12,000m of descending over two and a half days. Powered by Stages Cycles and organised by the same trailAddiction team behind the Trans-Savoie; Timed sections included trails in the superb Les Arcs Bikepark, as well as branching out into tough, relentlessly steep natural paths and tracks in the area. Blazing sunshine and high temperatures made for dry and dusty conditions, and when the clouds of dust and loam settled, the fastest male team was a duo from WorldofMTB.de – Daniel Eiermann and Jakob Breitwieser.
Full results can be found here:
http://www.sportident.co.uk/results/2015/LesArcsEnduro2/
Video player link here:
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Mentions:
Team World of MTB.de were the fastest over the three days racing.
Being a long way from home didn’t seem to slow down the all female team from Nelson, New Zealand of Meg Bichard and Raewyn Morrison, who finished in 12th position overall beating a huge number of all male teams.
At this time of year the Mont Blanc backdrop is still snow covered, but the network of trails laying dormant in the pine forests and high Alpine in Les Arcs are ready to rock as soon as the lifts open, so Enduro2 took advantage of prime-time loamy trails at the start of the summer season. Here, the first few riders are soaking in some not-too-bad morning views on the way to the first ever stage of racing.
‘Granny’s garden’ trail – the name is pretty self explanatory
As well as sponsoring the event, Matt Pacocha from Stages Cycling proved he’s skilled enough to handle some of the toughest tracks in Enduro racing and looked comfortable all weekend.
High fives after enjoying the stages also have a element of surviving another descent with bike and rider intact, and not many riders managed all the stages without some incident or another.
There’s not much liaison climbing in Enduro2, but tough stages with relentless steepness ramp up the physicality levels.
Sam Flanagan was one of the big Hope Technology posse that made the event, and Enduro2 made it ten days racing straight in a row for the hardcore Yorkshireman.
Representing Orange bikes, Toby Pantling (here) and Cube rider Olly Carter manged to bring it home in one piece and finish in second place.
Enduro2 has been a massive success overall and will certainly be back for more same time next summer. Watch this space for details about entry options later this year.
Meanwhile, get ready for the 3rd edition of the Trans-Savoie Big Alpine Enduro supported by Shimano, which is sure to be a battle of epic proportions. Racers already confirmed in the line up this year include Damien Oton, Nico Lau, Francois Bailly-Maitre, Florian Golay……and many more. The event’s 6 epic days begin on 23rd August 2015 from Val d’Isere, Savoie.
Any readers desperate to sample these trails and many more like them, but who can’t wait till next year, should contact trailAddiction to book in for a week’s guided and catered holiday package in the Savoie region this summer.
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